Starbucks announced at the end of January that it will be joining up with Tata Global Beverages to open 50 outlets in India by the end of the year, opening first in Mumbai or New Delhi. The new Starbucks stores will be co-branded “Starbucks Coffee: A Tata Alliance” and will be developing it’s own tea specifically for the new India market. Their is no legal requirement for Starbucks to join up with a partnering company but Starbucks states it had no plans to go it alone. Why is this news?

“What we are seeing is an evolution in lifestyles,” said R.K. Krishnakumar, vice chairman of Tata Global Beverages. “In some ways the distinctions between the developed world and the developing world are blurring.”

Starbucks currently operates in over 17,000 stores in 57 countries. Starbucks has continued to increase it’s exposure over the years but this was not always the case. Some of you may have read the book “Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing its Soul” written in march of 2011. The book explains the journey Starbucks went through in order to regain it’s market without loosing it’s core values.

Although India is a complex market Starbucks is hoping to be embraced by the Indian consumer.